


what he's got coming

by sanvitheartificer



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: (not a huge part of the work but i thought i'd tag anyway), Backstory, Bad Parenting, Fanfiction of Fanfiction, Hospitals, Internalized Homophobia, Major Illness, Multi, Passive-aggressive parenting styles, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Repression, Skin diseases, fairly graphic descriptions of ecto-acne, i promise that vlad gets better tho, this is unlike most anything i've written before but it was a lot of fun actually!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:13:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22607563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanvitheartificer/pseuds/sanvitheartificer
Summary: Jack Fenton visits Vlad Masters in the hospital, and everything changes.AKA: The one in which Vlad contradicts himself three times per sentence, represses everything he's feeling, and falls in love with Jack and Maddie somewhere along the way.
Relationships: Jack Fenton/Maddie Fenton/Vlad Masters
Comments: 9
Kudos: 87





	what he's got coming

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [In Which Danny May (Not) Have Made a Mistake](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9521117) by [Steerpike13713](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Steerpike13713/pseuds/Steerpike13713). 



> OKAY SO i read https://archiveofourown.org/series/670604 and was absolutely CONSUMED i love poly content and time travel and having to deal with New Life Situations. You should definitely go read that, but this story stands up as its own thing. 
> 
> This first story deals with some heavy shit, so mind the tags if you are worried! Mostly vlad’s a repressed asshole. He does get better, though! 
> 
> I have plans for more stories in this verse, but my muse is fickle and i’m not good at finishing things, so no guarantees! However, the rest of this story in particular is almost finished, so I'm pretty sure I'll get through that. 
> 
> Oh, and btw, I’ve watched like two episodes of Danny Phantom years ago, and neither had Vlad in it. I considered doing actual research/watching some DP, but then I decided nah, it’s fine, i’ve looked at several episode summaries, i follow at least one DP blog on tumblr, and i've read lots of fanfiction and That’s Enough Right??? Anyway, I’m going with it. I hope this is enjoyable despite any mistakes!
> 
> PS: i have like five alternate titles because i couldn't think of anything thematically-appropriate but the basic concept of this story is 'vlad gets what he deserves', which, at this point, is a good knock upside the head and then a lot of hugs, so that's what the title is supposed to mean

The sores weep, and ache, and pulse with a glowing light. Vlad has lost everything, and any time he tries to forget, the pain violently reminds him how disgusting he is now. Even in dreams the discomfort never ceases. 

Still, when Jack wakes him with a quiet, “Hey, V-man!”, for an instant it is like any other day. They’re back in their dorm room and it is hours before Vlad’s first class and he growls, “Shut up, Jack.”

And then everything floods back. The accident. Jack destroyed his life and then abandoned him. He has spent two weeks in a hospital bed with nothing but pain to accompany him. 

Vlad keeps his eyes closed. The light in here is too bright, anyway. “What do you want,” he snaps. 

“Just -- just came to check in on you, bud,” Jack says. It must be the quietest sentence Jack Fenton has ever uttered in his life. 

Vlad is not impressed. “Well, stop,” he says, and then gasps. He’s dared to utter two goddamn syllables, and three zits have popped, oozing ectoplasm onto the already-green sheets. 

“Oh, shit,” Jack says. “Can I get you anything? Water? A painkiller? I didn’t realize it was this bad, I mean I knew it was bad, you’re in the hospital but -- ”

“Shut _up_ _!_ ” Vlad roars. It hurts, but it doesn’t matter. “What did you expect to see, huh, Jack? Your -- your _poor pitiful little roommate_ , f-finally defeated so you and Maddie could go _run off together_ ,” he’s choking, suddenly, Jack a blurry orange square against the blank white walls. He’s _not_ crying, because Masters men don’t cry.

And, in a just world, Jack Fenton would not be hugging him, either. “Vlad,” Jack blubbers into his shoulder, like he has any right to it. “Vlad, V-man, I’m _so sorry_. This is all my fault, and -- if I could go back somehow, and make this happen to me, I -- I -- I’m sorry!” He wails. 

Vlad gasps, tries to push him away, but Jack has never been perceptive and he is much, much stronger than Vlad, emaciated and tired after two weeks in the hospital. His stupid orange jumpsuit is rubbing against the sores and Vlad thought he was used to pain but everything burns like the accident all over again, and --

(It’s the first time in two weeks that he’s been touched by someone who was not wearing rubber gloves, a decontamination mask, and what practically amounted to a hazmat suit. Yes, Jack is wearing a hazmat suit too, but that’s _Jack_.) 

“Get off!” Vlad yells, muffled, pushing with all the strength he has left. 

Jack finally gets the message. “Oh, shit. Vlad, I’m sorry, let me get you some -- some towels or something _\--_ “ His stupid orange jumpsuit is stained brownish-green. It’s disgusting, and Vlad is glad to see him go. 

He doesn’t wait for Jack to get back; he just doesn’t have anything else to do but lay here.

Vlad drifts to sleep in a puddle of his own effluvia soon after, alone except for the constant, squirming pain. 

* * *

  
  


Vlad expects to wake up alone again. Unfortunately, he doesn’t. 

He sees Jack first, of course. That much blinding neon is hard to miss. But Maddie’s there too, in the shadow of Jack’s bulk, quietly tinkering with some gizmo or other. 

_Probably ghost related_ , Vlad thinks viciously. He revises the thought immediately; if Maddie hadn’t been there, who knows how bad he could have ended up? Jack did this to him, not Maddie. 

Maddie notices he’s awake first, and hits Jack’s arm, who looks half-asleep. Jack immediately snorts and says, “Huh?” before blinking back to awareness. 

“V-man!” Jack yells, somehow cheerful. Vlad clenches his fists. “We brought you food!” Jack continues, oblivious. 

This is baffling enough to shake Vlad’s anger. Of the three of them, Vlad is the only one who even owns cooking utensils, after Maddie melted his last soup pot last March. Jack has been banned from the common room kitchen since freshman year. 

“It’s takeout,” Maddie said, her voice much softer than usual. She sounds almost… guilty. 

It’s nice to finally receive some actual sympathy. Jack brandishes a Chen’s paper bag at him with his typical enthusiasm, and Vlad almost smiles. For cheap take-out, Chen’s is halfway-decent. 

“We got you egg rolls and chicken lo mein,” Maddie says, fishing out two styrofoam containers and handing them to him. 

Vlad takes the boxes, and the plastic fork. Jack is already gulping down his orange chicken, and Maddie is eating her own fried rice with gusto. 

“How’s… Classes,” Vlad says at length, taking a bite of an egg roll. It’s gone completely cold; stupid of them, to wait for him to wake up to eat. He takes another bite. 

Jack pulls a face. “Maaaan, Professor Lowe doesn’t know how to chill. We had this pop quiz last Thursday, and holy shit, you would not _believe_ the stuff she put on there! We haven’t done differentials since last semester practically, but sure, let’s bring _that_ up.”

Vlad swallows. Lowe’s class is the only one he shares with Jack. He’s missed two weeks, now, just as the semester is beginning to get into the difficult material. It’s going to be hard to get his test scores back up, and he can’t imagine what his family will say if he doesn’t. 

Maddie interrupts his racing thoughts. “Yeah, and Jenkins seems like she’s gone out the window, too. We have to write a ten-page essay about _plants_ ,” she says. 

Vlad manages a smile. “Oh, c’mon, that’s not that bad if you’re not a robot in disguise,” he says. 

Maddie smiles, too. “Sure, says the future crazy cat lady -- ”

“What do cats have to do with plants?” Vlad interrupts, haughty. “You clearly need to write a ten page essay about plants, if you’re making that kind of mix-up!” 

Maddie snorts, and Jack chuckles, and for a second it’s like they’re in their dorm room again, making plans for the portal -- 

Vlad eats some lo mein. 

Jack, despite his obliviousness, picks up on the sudden oppressive atmosphere. He looks between Vlad and Maddie, before he says, “Umm, I think I have to get to class soon, but… I’ve been asking your teachers about your coursework, um, and Maddie has too, so -- I can come drop that off later.” By all accounts, that should be all, but Jack’s still hovering like a lost puppy.  
  


“ _Go_ , Jack,” Maddie says, finally. “You’re going to be late.” 

Jack glances at the clock on the wall, and says, “Shit, yeah, uh, bye Vladdie, bye Maddie, I’ll see you later!” He slams the door on his way out. 

They sit there for a minute. Maddie grabs the gizmo and turns it over and over in her hands, but doesn’t pick up the screwdriver. Vlad… aches. 

Finally, the silence becomes too painful to endure, and without thinking about it Vlad says, “Why didn’t you come earlier? I can understand Jack, but -- ” The rest of the sentence gets caught in his throat. _It wasn’t Maddie’s fault_ , he reminds himself. _She came back for me. There’s still a chance_. 

Maddie looks away, toying with her plastic fork. “I -- my folks always told me you shouldn’t tell a sick person bad news,” she says. 

Vlad frowns. “Tell me, Maddie.” 

Her eyes flash, and for a second she’s the Maddie he fell in love with, fierce, confident, intelligent. 

Then she looks right at him, and the spark dies. Her voice is quiet again when she says, “You know I hate ghosts. As a topic of study they’re fascinating, of course, but ghosts are evil.”

Vlad’s nails bite into his palms. He can feel them; he’s still _here,_ not inexplicably on the floor underneath his bed, not invisible even to his own eyes -- 

Maddie takes a deep breath and keeps talking. “Don’t tell Jack this, Vlad, but I’ve seen a ghost before. My uncle lived alone, up in Maine. Alicia and I visited him most summers, when I was a kid, and -- ” Maddie’s face was calm, clear, but for a moment she paused and looked away. Then her focus was on Vlad again, razor-sharp. 

“It was in him, Vlad. One summer we got there and it wasn’t _him_. H-his eyes glowed red, and -- our parents left, they were _long_ gone. He -- he almost killed her, but then -- he killed himself. Okay? He -- we _watched_ , Vlad,” Maddie said, and then her perfect calm shattered and she was sobbing. 

Past Maddie’s hitching breath, the hum of the hospital lights, the scuff of bare feet against the floor as he lurched over to her, Vlad watched himself thinking, _I can’t ever tell her_.

He didn’t know what it was he couldn’t tell her, and it sat in his stomach, cold and burning and green. 

* * *

  
  


He isn’t a ghost. 

He isn’t blue, with glowing red eyes; he didn’t phase through his bed and halfway into the floor; he isn’t invisible, he isn’t burning inside; he isn’t a ghost because he is Vlad Masters and _Masters men are not ghosts._

(The nurse, when she wakes up, stutters apologies. “I thought I saw a ghost,” she says, laughing nervously at her own memory. 

She fainted in the middle of checking on a patient. It was unprofessional, at best, but Masters men are nothing if not generous. Vlad laughs, too. “Ghosts aren’t real,” he says. “You should get more rest.”) 


End file.
